You can upgrade a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster to Windows HPC Server 2008 R2. For detailed upgrade information and step-by-step procedures to upgrade the head node and other cluster nodes, see the Upgrade Guide for Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

You cannot upgrade a Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 head node to a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 head node.

You cannot join nodes to a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster from a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster or a Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 cluster. You must redeploy the nodes in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 or upgrade the nodes manually. For information about the system requirements for nodes in a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster, see Step 1: Prepare for Your Deployment in the Design and Deployment Guide for Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

To run HPC PowerShell cmdlets and scripts in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, you must use the HPC PowerShell snap-in that is installed in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2. You cannot use the HPC PowerShell snap-in that is installed in Windows HPC Server 2008.

A side-by-side installation of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 and Windows HPC Server 2008 on the same computer is not supported. This includes the Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 client utilities. However, a side-by-side installation of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 and Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 is supported.

Note

To manage a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster from a computer on which the Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 client utilities are installed, you can use an application such as Remote Desktop Connection to connect remotely to the Windows HPC Server 2008 head node.

You can export job templates, task XML files, and job XML from Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 and import them into Windows HPC Server 2008, but they cannot reference features that are unique to Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

Client applications that use the HPC Basic Profile Web Service to submit jobs to a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster can also be used to submit jobs to a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster.

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based client applications that run SOA jobs on a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster can also be used to run SOA jobs on a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster.

Note

A client computer can run SOA-based client applications that access both a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster and a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster.

SOA services that run on a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster can also run on a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster.

The service configuration files (servicename.config) that are used to register SOA services on a Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster are compatible with a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 cluster.

Note

In Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, all of the configuration settings that apply to a SOA service are defined in a single service configuration file (servicename.config). In Windows HPC Server 2008, the settings for each SOA service are defined in three configuration files: servicename.config, HpcWcfBroker.exe.config, and [serviceAssembly].dll.config. You may need to migrate settings from the configuration files in Windows HPC Server 2008, such as settings that define how the broker handles service sessions, to the servicename.config files that are used in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2. For more information, download the white paper on SOA Applications, Infrastructure and Management in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=193167).